


3 Years Time

by apostapal



Series: Superhero Lifestyles [2]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Anxiety, Comic Shop, Established Relationship, Happy Ending, M/M, Miscommunication, Nerdiness, Romantically Calls You Bro, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-15
Updated: 2018-07-26
Packaged: 2019-03-31 13:14:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13975884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/apostapal/pseuds/apostapal
Summary: It's been almost 3 years since Gabriel met Jack, by chance, and ended up drawn into a whirlwind romance with the best friend he's ever had. 3 years, 3 wonderful years, and now he has a very important question to ask.





	1. Chapter 1

It was a Thursday morning when Gabriel realized he wanted to marry Jack.

The word was _realized_ , rather than _decided_ , because it was a rather sudden pop in his head. Not a slow addition of ideas, like problem solving and weighing the pros and cons. More like a slap across the face when he least expected it.

That morning, Jack got up to run the dogs (his turn) and paused to lean over and kiss his forehead. He mumbled something about coffee, probably asking Gabriel to make it, and nearly dropped his phone when he straightened back up. Gabriel looked up at him, rubbing sleep from his eyes, and it hit him.

_‘I’m going to marry him.’_

Jack smiled at him, stuffed his phone in the pocket of his windbreaker, and left Gabriel laying there with that thought blooming in his head. The utter certainty of it all was startling. Furthermore, it hadn’t even come from anywhere. It had arrived its own fully-formed creature, ready for the world, and simply hadn’t even waited for Gabriel to catch up with it.

He blinked. Gabriel rolled over and listened to Jack getting the dogs out the door, keys jingling as he went, and stuffed his face in Jack’s pillow. It smelled like shampoo and fabric softener and he almost found it in him to ignore that nagging idea in his head. Almost fell back asleep, eyelids heavy as he waited for his alarm to go off again.

_‘I’m going to need a ring.’_

Gabriel sat up with a sigh and scrubbed a hand over his face. Damn it, he was going to need to make some phone calls before Jack got back. He rolled out of bed and set to work.

Ana had mentioned that Fareeha’s soccer team needed a new coach for the summer programs. It’d been a few years since he’d held down a teaching job—the shop kept them largely taken care of with a few voice acting gigs between for more fun than bills—but he could at least try. Anything to get in some extra money would do. He could get the kid to cover for the shop those days and—

“Aw, no coffee?”

Gabriel jumped a little, fumbling to close his laptop, and Jack looked over at him with a raised brow. Reaper and Piper filed in after him, panting but in good spirits after the morning jog, and b-lined for their prefilled food bowls while Jack rummaged in the cabinets.

“Sorry,” Gabriel replied smoothly, getting to his feet and taking the coffee pot from Jack at the sink, hip bumping him out of the way. “I’ve got it. Got distracted.”

“Doing what?” Jack asked, glancing at the table. “Job app? Or were you looking at porn in the kitchen again?”

Gabriel snorted. “For the last time, that was a dub job app I was not prepared for.” He dumped water in the reservoir of the coffee maker.

“I won’t tell anyone you’re into werewolves, don’t worry,” Jack replied, teasing. Gabriel rolled his eyes and put on the coffee grinder.

He only bothered to justify Jack with any response once he’d dumped fresh grounds into the coffee filter and flicked the machine on. “It is a job app, though.” Jack perked up in his seat at the table, Piper’s chin on his knee as he rubbed her floppy ears. “Ana told me Fareeha’s school had a coaching opening and I figured it might be fun. The kid’s confident enough to handle shifts on his own if he has to now.”

“Jesse dropped a box of miniatures on his foot the other day and spent 3 hours finding them all…” Jack warned, trying not to laugh. Gabriel waved him off.

“He found them all, though.”

Jack still looked skeptical. But he seemed to cave to Gabriel’s idea—he caved to most of his ideas. Plus, it was a good way to handle another issue they’d been dealing with in recent months.

“Maybe you being there will get Fareeha off her ‘hire me, I’m like almost 12’ kick?” Jack offered with a chuckle. Gabriel laughed along with him, watching the coffee pot drip.

“We can hope,” he replied.

She’d had that idea in her craw for a while now. It was hard to pinpoint why, exactly, a preteen wanted a job, but here they were. Ana’s pride and joy had been harassing them since before her summer break had even begun, trying to get herself employed at the shop. Predictably, they didn’t really have anything they could offer her… being 11 and all.

Gabriel’s thoughts trailed off as Jack eased up behind him and wrapped his arms around his waist, chin on his shoulder. He swayed a little, watching the coffee pot for a moment, then pressed a kiss to his temple. Gabriel squirmed, turning in the embrace to face him, and stole for himself the first real kiss of the morning. Jack hummed and pressed in closer, pushing Gabriel against the counter.

“You smell good,” he said, lips still half pressed to Gabriel’s.

“You smell like dog and sweat,” Gabriel shot back, nipping at his lower lip. Jack laughed and kissed him again; harder. That dizzying kind of kiss that still felt like the first time.

When they broke apart, Gabriel felt himself instantly pulled forward. Jack kept one arm looped around his waist, the other raising theirs up together in a mock waltz, and swayed backwards a little. He took them through a few steps around the tiny kitchen, Gabriel laughing the whole way, and finished by dipping Gabriel in another quick peck before finally releasing him. Just in time for the coffee pot to finish. And on that note Jack swiftly disengaged and shot over to get himself some caffeine, leaving Gabriel leaning on the kitchen table and laughing.

“Forget about me so easily in the face of coffee, I see!”

“You’re one to talk; pretty sure you only dated me for food,” Jack shot back, grinning at him over his coffee cup. Gabriel feigned insult, grabbing his chest. “Don’t even try! Just yesterday you offered to blow me if I made lunch--I know you!”

Gabriel shrugged, grinning back at him. “Am I not allowed to both want to make my beloved boyfriend feel good and gently encourage him to make me a sandwich?”

“No,” Jack said, snorting.

“Oh,” Gabriel sighed, straightening back up and stepping over to grab his coffee cup next to Jack, “darn.”

“Yeah, babe, going on 3 years, remember? I have to know you by now or I’m not doing my job right.” Jack said. He looped an arm around Gabriel’s waist when he got close, grinning, and nuzzled his face up against his jawline and earning a contented sigh.

Gabriel found himself thinking that same thing from this morning. _‘I’m going to marry him.’_ It’d be 3 years in just a month or so. They’d moved pretty fast from friends to living together but then things had… simmered down a little. Calmed. Life was like this; domestic and wholesome and soothing. The shop had become a focus, both of them giving their all to it. And with Gabriel’s name on the papers it just felt right. Like everything was falling into place. There were rough times, sure, but with enough determination they were far from looking at failing because they had a bad month.

Post-holidays were always slow months but they were well past spring now, leading to a predictable upswing with teenagers out earning cash for their comics. They always had their regulars, thankfully, and Jack had been working with a nearby small convention to get some local artists out advertising them, which had gone over pretty well in previous years. The amount of traffic they got for selling lesser known comics was a surprising gain for a rather risky idea. All in all, business was the least of their worries. Unless you counted staffing... 

“Jesse’s opening with you today while I run errands, yeah?” Jack asked, leaning his head on Gabriel’s shoulder as he sipped his coffee. His arm was still securely around his waist, holding him in place as they talked.

“Yeah,” he hummed, “I’m going to try and teach him how to properly open so he can do some by himself for us. He really wants to be able to work more shifts during summer.”

Jack chuckled. “Well,” he said, “if anyone can get him organized it’s you.”

The kid was a bit of a disaster, admittedly, but he did well enough. Mainly, Gabriel thought he was just kind of scatterbrained. They had a system for most of it. Sticky notes and a notepad full of info. He’d just have to make a full blown binder to get his shit together for money handling. Maybe they’d have hope for another short beach vacation again this year. They hadn’t really gone on a long trip since, well, before they were together. Maybe…

“If I do a good job then maybe we can even sneak in a beach trip,” he said, before he could catch himself. Thankfully, Jack lit up instantly at it.

“That’d be nice,” he said, “if you want.”

Gabriel grinned at him. “It’d be good…”

_‘It’d be a good place to propose.’_

Oh, would that stop for five seconds? Gabriel tried to push the thought down for the time being. Instead, he pressed a kiss to Jack’s temple and went to step away but paused, brow raising a little. He leaned in and fluffed at the hair above it. Jack tried to turn and look at him.

“What?”

“You’ve got some grays,” Gabriel said slowly, trying not to laugh on the spot.

“What?” Jack jumped a little, pulling away and patting at his hair. “I do not!”

Now unable to contain himself, Gabriel bubbled over with laughter. Jack shot him a glare, hand slapped over his temple, and he laughed harder.

“Gabe, seriously!”

“I am serious!” Gabriel managed to choke out in his laughter. “You’ve got more!”

“Ugh!”

“You’re gonna be gray by your 40s at this rate!”

“Gabe--!”

“Shh, shh, it makes you handsome.”

Jack glared at him and gently shoved his chest away. Gabriel leaned back in and kissed his cheek noisily, Jack groaning and shoving at his face.

“Go get dressed, you have to open soon,” Jack grumbled, “bully.”

Relenting when Jack finally let him plant a proper kiss on his cheek, Gabriel pulled away laughing. “You like it,” he replied. Jack didn’t even bother trying to meet him with any protest.

Gabriel got ready and headed downstairs to the shop to find the front window free of its usual growth on mornings like these. He slowed his pace as he made his way down the stairs and went about digging out his keys, sure to give Jesse plenty of time. He’d just pushed the door open when the sound of shoes on pavement rounded the corner.

“I’m here, ‘m here!”

Jesse skidded to a halt in front of the shop just as Gabriel was taking his first step inside, battered cowboy hat clutched to his head. He looked up at him desperately, breathing heavily and obviously trying not to cough from the jog down the street, and Gabriel only let him squirm for a moment before laughing and motioning for him to enter. Relief flooded over the teen.

“You’re not late yet,” he teased as Jesse shot in the door ahead of him. “That was a close call, though.”

Jesse leaned against the counter and wheezed out a sigh, clutching his chest. “I missed. My alarm,” he said, coughing briefly.

“Been smoking again?” Gabriel asked, not having to look at Jesse to know the guilty expression that crossed his face. Another coughing fit answered better than the ensuing lie Jesse attempted.

“No!”

“Kid…”

Jesse coughed into his sleeve again. “Okay, one time,” he said, pushing off the counter to follow Gabriel into the back. “But that’s not why this happened!”

Gabriel pushed the back office door open and went about booting up the computer. He shot Jesse a critical look. “Stop smoking or I’ll take you out of management training for health reasons.” Jesse cringed but sighed and nodded. “You had anything for breakfast?” The ensuing silence of Jesse thinking drug on for too long. Gabriel glanced at the slow loading computer and sighed. “I’m ordering breakfast burritos after we get the registers up.”

“You don’t have to do that, boss…”

Gabriel laughed--half at the title and half at Jesse’s protest. “It’s kinda what we do here,” he said simply, tapping at the desk next to him. “C’mon, let me show you how to input the deposit real fast.”

Once the money handling aspect of opening was over, Gabriel could focus on his wayward ward. Jesse was a bit of a mess, sure, but he had an endearing quality about him. The kid didn’t seem to have the best family life and was doing his damndest to work as much as he could the past few months since he’d been hired to earn money for… well, anything. Mainly he talked about a motorcycle. Which Gabriel didn’t think was the best idea but there was no real harm in letting the kid dream. He’d had worse ideas in his youth.

“You get summer school this year?” he asked, leaning on the counter while Jesse scarfed down a burrito.

“Nope,” Jesse replied between bites. “I passed my math final.” Gabriel lit up and he ducked his head. “Thanks for helping me study.”

“Told you hard work would pay off,” he said, smirking. “Now I can let you work in good conscience.”

Jesse waved him off with his napkin, food finished. “You gotta be able to go on vacation for once, boss.”

Gabriel shrugged. It would be nice. And now more than before it was pretty important for his whole future. Speaking of… maybe he could get a second opinion.

“Hey, so I need to know what you think about something…”

“I told ya the hair cut was a bad idea,” Jesse replied, too quickly. Gabriel frowned and rubbed at the back of his head where he’d gotten it faded thinner. “What?”

“It’s not about my hair.” Gabriel said, annoyed. “But I appreciate your honesty.” Jesse paled and he snorted before going on. “I just… I was thinking of proposing to Jack. It’s not,” he frowned, rubbing at his face tiredly, “okay, don’t say shit. But it’s not—is it too soon?”

Silence. Gabriel sighed and glanced at Jesse. The teenager stared back at him, clearly lost. “What?”

“Just… you two ain’t already married?”

Gabriel frowned. “No?”

“Haven’t you been together like 3 years?”

“Yeah?”

“You act like a married couple,” Jesse said with a shrug. “Or, well, a good one. Kinda seems like you’re wastin’ time to me.”

Gabriel shot him a glare and threw his hands up. “I don’t deserve to get scolded by a 16 year old!” Jesse just laughed.

“Maybe just this one time, boss.”

Gabriel sighed but let it drop at that. It was time to open anyway and they had pulls in today. It’d stay busy for a while, which was a welcome distraction from his mind’s nagging. Which was likely only to get worse with a freaking teenager telling him he was ‘wasting time’. It was lunch hour before he knew it, phone buzzing in his pocket as he rang up a regular. Picking it up after, he found a text from Jack.

‘Don’t get leftovers, I bought pizza for lunch.’

_‘I’m marrying him.’_

Gabriel smiled to himself and tapped out his response.

‘I love you’

His phone buzzed again and when he looked at it Gabriel almost choked on his own spit.

‘You’ve got a pizza my heart, baby.’

‘Never change, Jackass.’

Jack wasn’t late with lunch. Which was good, especially considering Gabriel was certain Jesse didn’t have anything to eat for that either. The kid certainly didn’t complain when Gabriel motioned to the box as he shooed him behind the register so he could eat his lunch with Jack. They slipped in the back room for a minute, Gabriel cramming pizza in his mouth, and talked.

“I’m thinking we can manage 4 days if you're still up for the beach trip,” he said between bites. Jack quirked a brow. “Be sure we, uh, have time to enjoy ourselves.”

_‘I don’t want to rush myself.’_

Jack just grinned at him. “If you think the kid’ll be ready.”

Gabriel glanced over his shoulder toward the counter, where Jesse was trying to eat pizza and ring up a customer at the same time. He shrugged. “I’ll make him ready,” he said.

Leaning over to kiss his cheek, Jack chuckled. “Sounds good, then,” he said. He tugged at his coat, yawned, and nodded toward the door. “I gotta get back to things. See you after close, baby.”

Beaming at him, mouth full of pizza, Gabriel nodded. “Love you,” he said, voice muffled. “It’s your dinner night, remember.”

Jack nodded. “Love you too,” he grinned, then headed out the door again after saying his brief goodbyes to Jesse. Gabriel watched after him, heart swelling in his chest.

_‘Gonna marry him.’_

It was a promise now.

The rest of the day was a relative haze of activity. Between pulls and getting in a few new merchandise shipments, not to mention Jesse’s training, Gabriel stayed preoccupied. But his mind found a way to wander at one point. The customers had lulled near the end of the day and Jesse was busy with the last of the stocking, leaving Gabriel alone behind the register with nothing but his thoughts and the tv in the background.

He wanted to propose on the beach. Probably see if Jack wanted to get married there too. Was it too early to consider their wedding? He couldn’t be 100% Jack would say yes. Would he be ready? Would he want to wait? Could Gabriel handle him wanting to wait?

He could handle most anything for Jack, he decided. Anything at all. If he got to have him, he could wait. It would be more than worth it.

His mind was elsewhere when the door’s bell rang but he absently heard Jesse greet whoever it was. Gabriel was almost to the point of picking cake flavors when he heard a familiar voice across the counter.

“Uncle Gabriel!”

Oh great. She cornered him again. Without Jack to save his pathetic ass. Gabriel sighed and leaned on the counter to glance over at his favorite little haunt in the shop these days.

“Yes, Fareeha?”

“Can I have a job yet?”

Gabriel looked down at her in appraisal. She smiled up at him with the best brace-face he’d seen in years. He fought a chuckle.

“Kid, you’re 11,” he said, “I cannot legally hire you to work here. And that’s ignoring the fact your mother would actually kill me.”

Fareeha deflated instantly. Threw her hands up in the air a little and said, “Pay me under the table, then! I’ll tell mom I’m doing some after summer club.”

This time, Gabriel did laugh. “No, sorry kiddo. Just focus on being a kid. You’ll be 16 and hating it in no time, I promise.”

“Easy for you to say!” she bit back, folding her arms over her chest. Gabriel made a face. “Traitor.”

“Don’t be like that, your mom said you were all excited I was going to be coaching,” he teased, leaning on his elbows. “What changed?”

“You’ll be here less. And Uncle Jack doesn’t give me snacks.” She turned her nose up a little. “I don’t even know what you’ll be coaching yet…”

“Jack feeds everyone. That’s how he kept me here, remember?”

Fareeha stuck her tongue out at him. “He kept you here by kissing you,” she countered.

“Well, it helped.” Then, “where is your mother, anyway?”

She sighed. “Upstairs,” she said, “uncle Jack needed to ask her about something _adult_.”

Gabriel paused. Jack hadn’t stopped in the shop when he got home. That was… odd. He wondered what kind of thing he needed to discuss with Ana. The business, at least, was between them. It was odd but he did his best to shrug it off.

“Anyway, Jesse’s going to be around more too, kiddo. I’m sure you’ll stay entertained.”

From his perch stocking comics Jesse paused to wave. Fareeha cut her eyes at him a moment before waving back and leaning in closer to Gabriel. He leaned against the counter to listen to her.

“He’s kind of a dork,” she said.

Gabriel choked down a laugh. “Yeah,” he said, “but try to be nice.”

“I can hear you two, y’know,” Jesse cut in, glaring down at them. Gabriel and Fareeha both straightened back up and did their best attempt to look casual.

After a little bit catching up with Fareeha, Ana came down to get her. She greeted Gabriel and talked about work and weather, simple things, and offered Jesse a ride home before leaving as the shop was closing up. (He politely turned it down but Gabriel had a feeling she conned him on the sidewalk anyway.) Gabriel locked up the doors and headed upstairs, curious where his wayward boyfriend was, and found Jack more or less where he’d expect him after a day’s worth of errands; a lump on the couch wrapped in sweatpants.

Jack perked up when he came in and patted the seat next to him, 76 curled up in his lap, when Gabriel wandered into the living room. “Come here.”

“Long day?” Gabriel asked, sinking down into the seat next to him, head on Jack’s shoulder. Jack looped an arm around his waist and nodded. “What was Ana here about?”

Jack paused. It was an odd pause, like he was thinking too hard. Then he gave a little sigh and shrugged. “I wanted to see if she could cover a few shifts for that beach trip; to take some pressure off the kid.”

Gabriel frowned and tucked a little closer to him. “You really up for it?”

”You just seemed really excited and I don’t want you worrying about Jesse being able to handle the whole thing,” Jack replied. He pressed his lips to the top of Gabriel’s head briefly. “It’s been too long since I spoiled you.” Gabriel snorted.

“Well,” he said, “can’t argue with that.”

76 hopped off Jack’s lap after a moment and he turned, pulling Gabriel to face him and pushing him down into the couch. Jack propped his chin on top of Gabriel’s head, face turned to avoid smashing into the couch cushions, and he wrapped him up loosely, Gabriel squirming for a good position before sighing contently.

“Let me woo you again,” Jack mumbled, almost more to himself than Gabriel. Still, Gabriel grinned.

“Be my guest.”

Not that Gabriel planned on letting him have all the fun. Jack knew some tricks, sure, but he had nothing on The Master. And Gabriel wasn’t about to give up his title for anything now. Not ever.

He wanted to propose on the beach, he decided. And have the air smell like salt. Have the sand warm under his knee when he knelt down. Have the light breeze blowing between them. It was perfect. Maybe he could get away with having it be at night, like their other trips. It felt right to imagine the stars overhead. He was nearly to the point of full on fantasy when Jack shook him from his thoughts by pressing a kiss to his hairline.

“Getting tired?” he asked. Gabriel shook his head and went to protest but ended up stifling a yawn instead. Jack chuckled and kissed his forehead. “Nothing to be ashamed of, old man.”

Gabriel snorted. “You’re just saying I’m tired because you want to go to bed,” he countered. “You’re the one collecting grays.”

“Oh whatever!” Jack barked, nudging his forehead away. “Butthead!”

Gabriel just snorted and shoved his face against Jack’s chest. “You love me!”

Silence followed and Gabriel frowned, tilting his head to look at Jack. He found the man looking at him fondly, one hand poised near his head. When he caught Gabriel peeking he rubbed a hand over his hair.

“I do,” he said, quietly. There was an odd note to his voice, one Gabriel really couldn’t but a finger on. But before he could ask about it, Jack added, “I like your hair like this.”

Hah, what did the kid know anyway. Gabriel leaned up and pressed a kiss to Jack’s scruffy chin.

“Thanks, dork,” he shot back, “I think your grays look nice.”

And god, that winning smile Jack gave him felt like another stab in the heart. Another swell of his chest. Like his ribs were going to crack from the sensation. Gabriel sighed fondly and kissed him again.

 _‘I’m going to marry him,’_ he thought, _‘I have to now.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God, this is a long time coming and I'm so happy to be working in this AU again!! ;__; I hope everyone is as excited about this as I am!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back, I'm back!! /wheezes
> 
> Updates shouldn't be so far between after this; I had a trip and participated in the r76 bigbang on tumblr so I was a little busy for a bit but now I should be back to regularly producing content if I keep to my goals. Aaah, fingers crossed...
> 
> This is, as I like to call it, the "spider chapter" so get ready. :v

Gabriel finished his application on Friday evening and by Monday morning he had an interview for Wednesday afternoon. He did his best not to seem overly concerned, simply mentioning that it would help with their savings, but internally it was a bit of a rollercoaster. If he didn’t get another job it wasn’t likely he’d be able to afford a ring in time. And at this point he was so set on the idea of proposing there he wouldn’t let it go.

For his part, Jack was rather supportive. Gabriel told him about the interview when he got the call and he made sure to plan for it.

“I’ll just have to handle my errands on Tuesday,” he said, leaning on the counter to watch Gabriel put away miniatures behind it.

Gabriel paused, confused. “More errands? What are you doing?”

“Uh…”

Gabriel glanced up at him, brow raised. Jack looked back at him almost apprehensive and forced a smile. “Ana asked me to fix Fareeha’s school computer,” he said.

“Want help?”

“No!” Jack’s answer came too quickly. Gabriel blinked up at him, eyes narrowed, and Jack forced another smile. “No, I’ve got it. Don’t worry. It’s… simple.”

Gabriel wasn’t sure what exactly to make of that. But he didn’t press the issue. By the time Tuesday afternoon rolled around and Jack took off for, uh, tech services Gabriel had all but forgotten about the odd behavior. He simply went with things, closing up the shop and heading upstairs. He took a moment to text Jack about dinner, which all got immediate responses (nothing strange), and set to work winding down the evening.

Gabriel was in the middle of cooking when he heard Jack coming in the door. It was virtually finished, which was really perfect timing.

“Hope you’re hungry,” he called, tapping the spoon against the pan before setting it aside. Jack approached, a few bags rustling as he set them on the table, and wrapped his arms around Gabriel’s waist. He settled his cheek against his shoulder blade and sighed happily.

“Long day?” Gabriel asked.

“Too long.”

“Did the computer take a while?” Gabriel asked, teasing, as he cut the stove off. Jack refused to release him the whole way. He felt him shrug at the question.

“I stopped by the store for a few things and it just… ran on.”

He sounded oddly wistful. When Gabriel squirmed to turn in his arms he finally leaned back and offered up a grin. Gabriel cupped his cheeks and gently squished them together.

“What’d you get? Any presents for me?”

Jack lit up. “I did get a surprise!” he said suddenly, pulling away from Gabriel to go rummage around in the things he’d brought in. When he turned around, he had a small plastic box in his hands. Looking closer, Gabriel found it full of some sort of soil with a small hunk of what looked like tree bark.

He was just about to ask what it was when he saw it; a furry little leg sticking out from one side of the bark. A tilt of his head and he took in the whole sight. A spider--a large, furry spider. With beady little eyes and huge fangs and…

_“Nope!”_

Gabriel backpedaled, hands up, and bumped into the counter behind him. Jack looked up from glancing in the box to blink at him. Gabriel tried to focus on Jack, and not the absolute hellspawn he was holding, but all he could think about was crawly sensations and huge, dangerous spider fangs. He slid along the counter, away from Jack.

“Gabe, what’s wrong?”

“Nope,” Gabriel repeated, “no.”

Jack looked between the spider and Gabriel, brow furrowed. Then, gradually, it finally dawned on him. “Gabe… are you arachnophobic?”

“Phobia implies my fear is irrational,” Gabriel blurted, hands still up. Jack bit his lip like he was trying not to laugh. “Jack!”

“You have spider print stuff!”

“That’s different. That can’t move or bite me.”

“She doesn’t bite,” Jack insisted, peeking back in the tank. “Do you, Daphne?”

Gabriel cringed. “You named her?”

Jack looked up at him and shrugged. “She looked like a Daphne,” he said, then, “If it’s a problem, I can take her back, Gabe. I mean it.”

Sighing, Gabriel rubbed a hand over his face. “No, no… You _named_ it. It… she can stay.” Then, he asked, “But… why?”

“I always thought they were neat,” Jack replied. “And she was basically free.”

Trying to breathe through his initial panic, pointedly avoiding looking at the box, Gabriel forced a chuckle. “Well,” he said, “at least she was a bargain.”

Jack, for his part, seemed genuinely remorseful about the whole thing. Maybe he really hadn’t known. It wasn’t like Gabriel really liked anyone knowing this particular weakness. Even Jack. If he could simply avoid the things, he did.

“I’m guessing you don’t want to keep her in our room, then…”

Gabriel flinched in spite of himself and Jack offered a sympathetic smile, setting the box on the table. He held his arms out, taking a step closer, and since he was spider-free Gabriel let him pull him into an embrace even with his discontent over the whole thing.

“That was mean, sorry.”

Gabriel rested his cheek against Jack’s shoulder, eyes narrowed at the box on their table, and wriggled his arms under Jack’s coat to hold him closer. “You suck,” he mumbled, “why am I dating you again?”

“I feed you.”

Gabriel snorted and finally took the spider out of eyesight to press his face against Jack’s neck. “Jackass,” he mumbled, “you make me sound terrible.”

* * *

The spider, as it turned out, wasn’t exactly the worst thing that ever happened to Gabriel. Jack kept his promise and took the beast downstairs, warning Gabriel it would be on a shelf in the back office, and he was almost able to forget it. That is, until the next morning rolled around and he went down to the shop ahead while Jack waited on coffee to finish.

When Gabriel stepped in the shop, he paused. He needed to go get the tills ready. And he wasn’t sure, exactly, where the spider’s container was. Or if he’d have to see her.

Cautiously, he peeked around the corner of the doorway. He spotted Daphne, who Jack only referred to by name now, on the shelf above the back room desk. He narrowed his eyes at the fact that, when standing, she was eye level. Did Jack do that on purpose?

He couldn’t see her inside the box, which was almost worse if he let himself actually think about it, but for the moment Gabriel could live with it. So he took a few nervous steps into the room and over to the safe. Crouching down, he punched in his code and pulled the money out. Closing the safe and setting the money on the counter he stood back up and--

“Jesus Christ!”

The spider had crawled around to the front of the cage, standing with her first two legs on the plastic. Gabriel reeled back, tripping over his own feet, and his back collided with something firm and it took all he had not to yell. Instead, a strange and extremely embarrassing noise somewhere between a hiss and a yelp let his mouth. And behind him he heard Jack laugh.

“You okay, babe?”

“She wants to kill me,” Gabriel blurted, spinning around to face Jack. The other man was genuinely doing his best not to dissolve into hysterical laughter at this point but it… wasn’t going very well. “Look at her!” Gabriel gestured over his shoulder insistently.

“She’s curious,” Jack offered, reaching out to squeeze Gabriel’s shoulders. “There are no known cases of tarantulas eating people, Gabe.”

“You don’t know if that might change.”

Jack snorted and shook his head. “Do you want me to take care of the tills?” he asked. Gabriel nudged him in the chest and stepped around him out the door without a word, not even breaking eye contact, and he laughed again. “Okay, okay. I’ve got it.”

Exhaling loudly, Gabriel stepped back out into the shop and shook the ‘horror’ off before going to get the computer system up. By the time Jack came out with the tills in hand he was all set and had taken to poking around the stock.

“We should order more blind boxes,” he remarked, gesturing at the packages by the register. “I think we sold almost a whole case to one dude.”

“Did he get the one he was looking for?” Jack asked, opening the register.

Gabriel clicked his tongue. “Don’t think so,” he said, “so maybe we can get him to buy another case.”

“You’re a marketing genius, babe.”

“I try,” Gabriel shot him a grin before moving to unlock the door and flip the sign.

Around lunch, Gabriel slipped upstairs to get ready for his interview. Something told him a school wouldn’t want him showing up in flip flops and a t-shirt, even for a coaching job. Not every job was as lenient with the dress code as this one. (If Jack’s stipulation of “wear pants” even counted as a dress code…)

When he stopped back by downstairs to ask if Jack wanted him to bring anything home for dinner his boyfriend beckoned him closer to the counter and took his face in his hands, squishing lightly at his cheeks. Gabriel squinted at him, lips puckered, and Jack grinned back.

“You’re gonna do great, babe,” he said, leaning forward to kiss Gabriel across the counter quickly. “But that’s for luck anyway.”

Gabriel laughed and rubbed at his beard when Jack let him go, shaking his head. “Thanks dork.”

“Also, please bring home sushi.”

“You weren’t trying to bribe me just then, were you, Jack Morrison?” Gabriel asked, narrowing his eyes at him. Jack feigned shock, slapping a hand over his chest.

“I would never!”

Both of them stared each other down for a moment, then laughed. Gabriel backed toward the door, hands in the air, and said, “I’ll be back soon. Don’t let the spider eat you.”

As he stepped out the door, he heard Jack scoff. “Tarantulas don’t eat people, Gabe!” Well, they’d have to agree to disagree on that one.

Something about the drive got Gabriel thinking. About life, about their lives. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and thought about if they’d want to take each other’s last names or combine them? He’d just slipped into wondering about which order to put them in when another thought rudely interrupted.

_‘What if he doesn’t want to get married?’_

Gabriel squinted at the road, frustrated with his own train of thought, and tried to push the thought away. But it wouldn’t go. Especially not with the fact that it had been 3 years now. They’d been together 3 years and Jack had never even mentioned the idea in passing. Not even an ‘if we get married’, let alone a ‘when we get married.’ It hadn’t even passed through Jack’s lips, even if Gabriel knew for a fact his mother had to be pestering him. (His certainly was… awful, terrible woman she was.)

What, exactly, did that mean? Maybe Jack wasn’t interested in that kind of commitment? He had mentioned how poorly things had gone last time he’d been considering getting married. Maybe he wanted to take things slow? Or not at all in that direction? He was okay with that.

Wasn’t he?

Gabriel pulled into the school parking lot and a space, then sat back with a soft sigh. He glanced across the walkway in front of him, leading toward the school offices, and frowned.

He was okay with that, wasn’t he? Then why did his chest feel tight at the thought? It didn’t feel like a deal breaker--if he could put up with Jack’s snoring and drool and inability to pick up his socks he could live with the idea he didn’t get a cake and a ring and a silly paper--but it still… hurt? Was that the right word?

Gabriel thought of that morning, the moment the thought crossed his mind. Looking at Jack fumbling around in their bedroom getting ready to run the dogs. How perfect it felt; the word ‘husband’ instead of ‘boyfriend’. The idea of a weight on his finger. The idea of it all was so simple but so much.

But he was okay without that. _He was._ He told himself so as he pushed the thoughts down and climbed out of his car. He headed to the office, folder with his resume in hand, and tried not to think about it.

The interview went simply. Swiftly. The last interview he’d had was, admittedly, much more smooth and informal but he couldn’t exactly complain with a firm handshake and a ‘we’ll be in touch, Mr. Reyes.’

When he got home, he stepped into the shop to let Jack know and found the other man bent over the counter, trying to reach something on the shelves on the other side. When he managed to grab it, Jack popped up and lifted the small box up triumphantly for a second before noticing Gabriel and grinning sheepishly at him.

“Hey babe,” he said, setting the box next to the register. “How’d the interview go?”

That awkward smile, rough voice, the little spark in his eyes when he caught Gabriel’s gaze. The same feeling from that morning came back.

_‘I’m going to marry him.’_

Gabriel swallowed the thought down and smiled, stepping into the shop and over to the counter across from Jack.

_‘I hope.’_

And that was, really, the best he had. Hope. Hope and the look in Jack’s eyes when he reached for his face and pulled him halfway across the counter to kiss him. It felt like hope. It felt right. So maybe that was enough.

“How am I gonna survive my days without you around to do that on weekends?” Jack teased when Gabriel let him go, one hand still cupping his cheek affectionately.

Gabriel laughed and pinched his nose, making Jack snort. “You’ll be fine,” he said, “still get me every night, you know.”

“Do I _get you_ tonight?” Jack asked and leaned against the counter in a failed attempt to look casual. Gabriel pursed his lips, visibly fighting laughter, and Jack shot him a sulky look. “Is it because of the spider?”

“Only if you planned on bringing her upstairs,” Gabriel deadpanned.

“I was thinking about putting her on your nightstand. They say fear is kind of an aphrodisiac and I thought--” Before he could finish Gabriel reached out and shoved Jack’s face away, nearly knocking him off balance and dissolving his suggestion into nothing but dorky laughter.

“You put that monster on my nightstand and you can have the bed all to yourself, Jackass.”

Jack huffed lightly. “Fine,” he said, “I’ll find another way to spice things up.”

Gabriel waved him off, turning for the door. “Please don’t,” he shot over his shoulder. “I’ll crack a rib laughing if you try.”

“Love you!” Jack called after him and that thought bubbled up again.

_‘I’m going to marry him.’_

And Gabriel just smiled to himself. “Love you too,” he said, pulling the door closed. Yeah. This felt right. It had to be right.

* * *

Normally, Gabriel would consult his own mother on this. After all, he tended to ask her about nearly everything. Whether or not he liked to admit it she usually had good advice. But there was a small problem when it came to talking to his own family about something as secretive as planning to propose; he came from a family of _snitches._

Jack would know in hours if he told his mother or sisters. So Gabriel came up with a better plan. A foolproof one, he convinced himself. Mainly because it was, really, the only option he allowed himself to entertain.

“Gabriel, how are you doing this morning?”

Lori sounded chipper enough when she answered the phone. Good. He had been slightly worried that calling this early would disturb her but he only really had Friday mornings before the shop opened to have any private phone conversations that didn’t alert suspicions.

“Hey Lori,” he replied, holding the phone to his ear with his shoulder while he typed in his log in for the registers. “You doing okay?”

“I’m good, I’m good,” she gave a little laugh. “But you didn’t answer my question.”

_Moms._ Gabriel rolled his eyes fondly and sighed. “Yeah, because I need your help with something,” he explained, “I’m… having some trouble making a decision.”

“Mm, what’s on your mind?”

He could breach the subject delicately. Introduce it with some sort of subtle preamble. Or he could just drop it directly in her lap and see what she did. He went for the latter. This was too important to beat around the bush with.

“I want to ask Jack to marry me,” he said, “I need to know… if it’s even a good idea.”

There was a pause on the other end of the line and Gabriel held his breath. Then, a little sniffling sound filtered through the speaker. He was about to ask if everything was alright when Lori finally sighed and spoke, voice clearly a little choked up.

“Oh Gabriel, it’s about time.”

He couldn’t help the nervous laugh that came in response. He wasn’t sure what to make of her crying but that at least sounded good. He cleared his throat and waited for her to collect herself a bit.

“I’m just scared, y’know?” he explained, organizing a few shelves while they talked just to keep his hands busy. “Everything’s been so wonderful and I don’t… I don’t want to lose that. Especially not over something as trivial as a paper and some rings.”

“You really think marriage is trivial, huh?” Lori asked. Shit, she might have caught on to his forced nonchalant tone when he tried to pass that off.

Gabriel ran a duster over some of the statue cases. “I mean… I just meant in the grand scheme of things it’s… not that big of a deal. We’ve been together for years and nothing’s bad or changing. And getting married isn’t gonna… change that either. So I guess it just feels like maybe I’m making a bigger deal out of this than I should.”

“It’s not just about papers or rings, you know,” Lori explained, humming thoughtfully. “Well, I mean, sometimes that’s all it is to people. But you’re allowed to think getting married is a big deal, or at least important.”

Gabriel bowed his head and sighed, nearly dropping the duster he was using. “I want it to not be a big deal. In case--” he bit the inside of his cheek but said it anyway, “in case he says no.”

“Why would he say no? His world seems to revolve around you, Gabriel. Has since you two met and I don’t think that’s changed.”

Gabriel shrugged, then remembered Lori couldn’t see him. “He just seems… distant lately. It’s like since I decided to propose he’s been weird. Just… just little things. But I feel like I could have cursed it or something.” Lori laughed and he sighed at her. “I’m being serious!”

“He’s been rubbing off on you,” Lori warned. “All this worry, for what? You think you can single handedly ruin your relationship when it’s been this good?”

“It’s certainly possible,” Gabriel grumbled back.

She just sighed at him. “Please ask him, Gabriel. If you scare yourself out of this you’ll just become a self-fulfilling prophecy.”

“Well, I gotta open the store,” he said, dropping the conversation on that note. “Thanks for talking with me, Lori.”

She just laughed. “Of course, sweetheart. Now make yourself my son-in-law before I have to do it myself.”

That got him laughing. “Please don’t.”

“No promises.” Her tone came out sing-song and they said goodbye before Gabriel ended the call and shoved his phone in his pocket.

He got the store open after that and the morning rolled by easily until Jack showed up, sweeping behind the counter to help him with a few pulls just as he got in the door. Everything in that moment felt so normal, so natural. He almost felt silly for worrying like he had been. This was Jack; he liked to think he knew him pretty well at this point. And he knew pretty damn well that Jack loved him. He certainly said it all the time now.

After the customers stepped out, Jack looped his arms around his waist and pulled Gabriel into a hug. “Missed you,” he mumbled, chin resting on Gabriel’s shoulder. “How was opening?”

Gabriel ruffled at his hair and pressed a kiss to Jack’s temple. “Was fine,” he said, “how was your meeting?”

“Fine,” Jack said, “I was talking some new people through some recovery milestones I had and... I just really love you, you know that?”

Gabriel laughed. “I had a hunch.”

Jack shifted and nuzzled against his neck, squeezing him just a little tighter. “Good,” he said, then added, “You remember that night you went with me to my yearly milestone?”

Of course he did. Gabriel wasn’t sure he could forget that night to save his life. Probably because he’d realized in that moment quite how smitten he was. Not that he could have expected things would end up like they were now in his internal panic then.

“Yeah, I remember.”

“Did I ever thank you for that?”

Gabriel muffled a laugh against Jack’s shoulder. “A few times,” he replied, “why?”

“It’s just… it seemed so small,” Jack swayed in place, rocking Gabriel with him. “Like, it was just a meeting, right? We didn’t even eat there and you were just my friend-slash-giant-crush at the time. But I always find myself talking about it when I mention things that were important to my recovery. Every time. Something so small still meant so much.”

Gabriel thought of rings and papers and the ache in his chest when he thought about not having them. He thought about what Lori said about letting himself let things be important to him, even if they were small to everyone else. He squeezed his arms tighter around Jack’s middle and tried to burrow his face into his collar. Jack gave a faux wheeze and pressed a kiss to his cheek and he loosened his grip a little.

“Sometimes small things mean a lot,” he said, voice muffled against Jack’s neck.

Jack stifled a laugh and before Gabriel could ask him what was funny he asked, “Like spiders?”

God, why did he have to fall in love with a jerk who thought he was funny? And why did he have to still love it so damn much?

“Yeah,” Gabriel said, sighing loudly, “like spiders.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaand we've got a special Jack's POV Chapter!! Enjoy finding out what he's been up to this whole time. ;)
> 
> Also minor warning for anyone who is nervous about bugs/spiders: there's a minor scene of tarantula handling while Jack's on the phone. But she really is harmless, I promise!!

It was a Thursday evening when Jack decided he was, yet again, set on what he was going to do. 12th time is the charm, right?

“Hey, wanna go to the beach tomorrow night?” He tried to sound nonchalant when he asked, leaning on the doorframe of the bathroom while Gabriel brushed his teeth. Gabriel raised a brow at him in the mirror and then ducked to spit in the sink.

“Sure? Any particular reason?”

“Uh,” Jack squished his cheek against the door jam, suddenly aware he didn’t plan for anything past ‘ask Gabe to go to the beach.’ “Picnic?”

Gabriel shrugged. “Sounds nice.”

Jack spent the rest of the day frantically trying to plan the evening out in his head. What to make, how to steer the conversation, what to say at all—

“Jack, you alright?”

Jack jumped and glanced over at Gabriel, who had set a hand on his shoulder. He gave it a gentle squeeze when Jack looked at him and smiled and Jack felt like he’d gotten the wind knocked out of him. He felt like that ever time, if he was honest. Warm brown eyes and a soft smile and he was just… doomed.

“Yeah,” he said, one arm looping around Gabe’s waist reflexively now that he was close enough. “I’m good. Just thinking about dinner.”

Gabriel laughed and shook his head, planting a kiss on Jack’s temple before pulling away and going back to what he was cleaning in the shop. Jack found himself watching after him; taking in everything from the lingering stubble on his neck (already due for a shave) to those ratty boots he refused to let Jack replace, the way he moved, the tune he hummed as he went back to dusting. Everything, just so perfect—just so… Gabriel.

_‘I’m going to marry him.’_

Jack felt his heart tighten a little in his chest and the ring box in the guest room, hidden away in some dark corner where Gabriel would never look, felt like it was singing a siren call to him. All he had to do was ask…

That, as it turned out, was far more complicated than it needed to be. Jack knew he could just… do it. But that didn’t feel right. No moment had felt perfect in the whole time he’d been trying to. There was something so inspirational about how they’d met and come together and something like this deserved an equally amazing moment. He’d been trying for an embarrassing amount of time but the moment never felt right. They were inching toward their 3 year anniversary and he had a wedding ring burning a hole in his pocket and no idea how to ask.

Gabriel’s second job situation, though he didn’t appreciate the time apart, was helpful in trying to plan things. If whining to Ana counted as planning. Which was most of what he managed to do. That evening after the shop closed and Gabriel was still at his coaching job, likely staying after to talk to parents, Jack sat at the table and called Ana, setting the phone on the tabletop on speaker next to Daphne’s enclosure while it rang.

The spider thing was a big fuck up he wasn’t sure how to make up for. He didn’t know how Gabriel had avoided letting him in on this little fear of his for so long but he did genuinely feel bad about bringing a source of panic into their house--even if Gabriel kept reassuring him that it was fine so-long as she stayed put away while he was in the same room.

Since he wasn’t right now, Jack popped the lid off her tank carefully while he waited for Ana to pick up. He’d just set it aside and was watching the spider crawl up the side of the tank when she did.

“What’s it this time, Jack?”

She sounded annoyed, but in a faked way. Teasing more than anything. Jack chuckled under his breath and put his hand to the side of the tank as Daphne neared the top.

“I’m asking him tomorrow,” he said, watching the spider curl her legs over the lip of the tank and daintily touch his palm. “I mean it this time.”

“Do you?” Ana asked. He could hear the brow raise she was giving him even over the phone.

“I do,” he said, watching Daphne slowly walk out onto his hand. She paused, clearly enjoying the warmth of his body heat, and Jack glanced at the clock on the stove over his shoulder. “I’m taking him to the beach for dinner tomorrow. Picnic, setting sun, sounds of the ocean…”

“Sounds romantic. He’ll love it.”

“Hmm.”

Jack moved his other hand up and Daphne crawled across onto it. He watched her slow, deliberate motions and let his thoughts drift a little. Ana’s voice snapped him out of it.

“Don’t sound so excited, Jack.”

“What?” Jack blinked, glancing at the phone. “I am! I just… I don’t know if--”

Ana cut him off with a sigh. “How many times do I have to tell you that there is almost no way he won’t say yes, Jack?”

“At least 3 more after this,” Jack replied with a weak laugh.

“You’re such a fatalist,” she said with a soft huff.

Jack laughed and moved his hands so Daphne could crawl back onto his other again. “Yeah, I know,” he said, “that’s why I keep your inspiring optimism in my life.”

“Just ask him, Jack,” Ana sighed again. “You bought that ring for nothing otherwise. And it was a lot of trouble, considering how many pictures you sent me while deciding.”

Jack laughed and moved his hand closer to the table so Daphne, should she choose to, wouldn’t fall if she wanted to exit his palm. “You’re a gift, Ana,” he said, tapping at his phone case. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

“Any time, Jack,” she replied, “please just ask him. I’m begging to see your wedding already.”

“I will. I’m going to. I promise. I--” Jack paused, glancing at the clock again. “He’ll be home any minute. I’ll talk to you later, alright? Thank you.”

“Only call me once you’ve asked,” Ana teased. “Good luck, Jack.”

“Thanks.” Jack smiled and pushed the end call button before glancing back at Daphne. She’d chosen to stay firmly seated in his palm, tiny eyes staring up at him. “I can feel you judging me too, you know,” he sighed, holding her up again and letting her crawl back onto his other hand. “No room to talk to me about romance. Lots of spiders eat their partners…”

Around that point, Jack heard the door open behind him. Before he thought about it he turned his body, hands still poised over the table with Daphne, to greet Gabriel.

“Hey baby--”

Gabriel’s expression quickly warped from weary fondness to absolute horror. Grimacing, he backed into the door behind him and dropped his bag on the floor. Realizing his mistake, Jack frantically turned back to Daphne and pulled her enclosure over to him, nudging her butt lightly until she crawled off his hand and snapping the lid back into place when she was safely inside. When he turned back around Gabriel was still leaning against the door, one hand over his chest, but he hadn’t died of fright or left so a win. Sort of.

“Heeey,” Jack got up, dusting his hands on his jeans and taking a step towards him. “Sorry…”

“How… how do you _hold_ that thing?”

Jack let out a weak laugh and held his arms out. “She’s harmless, I keep telling you that…”

Gabriel gave him an apprehensive look but stepped into his arms anyway. He tucked his face against Jack’s neck, that same old warm closeness they always shared, and Jack gently rubbed his back. He smelled like sweat, probably from literally running laps around the kids, but somehow Jack found it almost comforting. It was hard to find something about Gabriel that wasn’t a comfort.

“Get that thing out of the kitchen,” Gabriel grumbled into his shirt. Jack laughed and squeezed at his middle before finally releasing him.

“Go get cleaned up,” Jack said, giving Gabriel a quick peck before he pulled away. “I’ll get dinner ready.”

Gabriel smiled at him, that beam of sunshine that warmed Jack from the very core, and gave his cheek a pat as he stepped by him. “I love you, you big spider-loving weirdo.”

“I love you too, you big pansy,” Jack shot back.

Gabriel laughed, waving a hand over his shoulder, and Jack watched him disappear down the hall. Then he exhaled softly and glanced at Daphne’s tank on the table. Yeah, he’d have to make sure tomorrow made up for this for sure.

* * *

Friday morning, Jack went to his meeting as always. Up early, made coffee for Gabriel before he left, and out the door almost just as the sun was coming up.

The early meetings weren’t easy, per say, but they were the best thing he could do for his schedule. Even if all he wanted every Friday morning when he woke up with Gabriel wrapped up in his arms was to stay there. He’d be lying if he didn’t admit he could just stay there forever.

At least tonight he’d make it certain that that was something he could look forward to for the rest of his life; mornings like that.

The whole day felt like it drug on. He felt wound up, like a ball of energy bursting at the seams. During his meeting and the drive home, dodging certain death in LA traffic, he kept having to stop himself from bouncing his knee and drumming his fingers and doing anything he could to get his energy out before he got back to the shop and under Gabriel’s gaze.

When he got in the door of the shop, Gabriel was busy telling a regular about a show he’d worked on that Jack had playing on the tv over the counter Usually, he like to talk about his voice work--always so critical of himself--so it was nice to see him proud of something he had a real passion for.

When Gabriel saw him he lit up instantly. It felt amazing being the cause of that; the sparkle in those warm brown eyes, that flawless smile--all for him.

He stepped around the counter, barely greeting the regular before swooping in and planting a kiss on Gabriel’s cheek. He laughed in response, reaching up to ruffle at Jack’s hair.

“Hey you! Meeting go alright?”

“Was fine,” Jack mumbled, nuzzling at his cheek and wrapping his arms around his waist.

“You’re clingy today,” he teased. Jack shifted until he could rest his chin on Gabriel’s shoulder and look at their customer and he smiled back.

“I’m lucky. No one can blame be for this.”

Gabriel made a soft ‘pff’ noise and mussed his hair some more and Jack finally let him go. Not that it lasted for long. He found himself gravitating closer and closer to Gabriel the whole day. The simple freedom of being able to be close to the other man was somehow so much more tempting with the thought of his evening plans.

Their day ended in no time at all and Jack managed to duck out of the shop early, much to Gabriel’s good-natured griping, to run upstairs to prep their dinner--and something else important.

He kept the ring box up in a box on the top shelf in the closet of the spare room--or, rather, Gabriel’s old room. They didn’t use the room for much other than a glorified office now and the closet for even less so it was the safest place to store it. Proof of that was the fact he’d managed to keep it hidden for months now and Gabriel at least didn’t seem any the wiser about his plans.

Jack shoved the ring box in the pocket of his board-shorts and headed for the kitchen to grab food. He had everything together by the time Gabriel was upstairs, doing his best to not appear as anxious as he was. He sat at the table trying not to think about the box in his pocket while Gabriel got ready.

They made small talk on the drive there, mostly both of them planning for D&D the next day. It was all so normal. Like Jack wasn’t about to potentially change their entire lives forever mere moments from then. At one point Gabriel’s hand found his on the center console, fingers linking with his. At a stoplight Jack raised Gabriel’s hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to each of his knuckles, savoring the feeling and the soft chuckle it pulled from Gabriel.

“Bit of a Romeo today, aren’t you?” Gabriel said, teasing.

Jack just grinned at him. “I’m trying,” he said.

At the beach Gabriel was eager to get out to the water as always and he grabbed the basket off the floorboards and took it with him as he set off across the parking lot. Jack found himself lingering, pausing to dig the ring box out of his pocket. Glancing at Gabriel, already at the boardwalk, he popped the box open and looked at the ring.

It glittered in the dying light of the sunset, a simple gold band but carrying so much weight somehow. Jack remembered debating for ages on it; what metal, if it should have any gems, on and on. He’d driven Ana crazy before, in the end, picking something so simple. Simple was often best. Everything about them felt so simple, so easy.

Easy until right now, anyway. Jack’s heart felt tight in his chest, anxiety working knots into his stomach. He just had to ask--all he had to do was ask. The whole moment was finally perfect and--

“Jack?”

Jack jumped, hearing Gabriel’s voice call for him from the boardwalk, and dropped the ring box into the floorboards. Yelping softly, he dove for it and promptly banged his head against the steering wheel. Coming back up cussing and clutching his forehead he realized Gabriel had started back for the truck and panicked. He managed to grab the ring box and threw it into the center console compartment in a flurry before Gabriel called for him again.

“You coming?”

“Yeah!” Jack shot back, grabbing their towels out of the back seat. “One second!”

He clambered out of the truck, towels under one arm, and slammed the door before even realizing he’d left the ring inside. Briefly, he considered going back for it but Gabriel was watching him, brow raised, from the boardwalk. Trying to reassure himself, he breathed a little sigh and headed for the beach. He’d just have to ask before they left...

Gabriel greeted him with a reassuring little pat on the back when he got to him, chuckling. “Gotta stop zoning out on me,” he teased.

Jack just gave a weak smile. “Yeah, sorry.”

The picnic was nice. Just something basic while watching the waves roll out with the setting sun. They made small talk while eating, the subject swapping to an old, fond memory when they finished and Gabriel leaned back on his elbows, eyes out toward the ocean.

“I remember when you took me here to stand out in the water for ‘therapy’… Did you even know how bad I had it then?” Gabriel glanced over at him.

Jack smiled at him. “I really didn’t. But I… god.” He bit his lip, eyes seeking Gabriel’s. “I wanted to kiss you so bad that night. I didn’t want to, uh, possibly make it weird when you were upset like that but... “ He trailed off, glancing out at the water. It felt like a silly thing to bring up at all. But that night had been one of the ‘defining moments.’ A night like he had hoped would be like tonight too.

Gabriel got to his feet suddenly, sticking a hand out to him. “C’mon...”

When Jack took his hand, Gabriel pulled him to his feet and towed him across the sand and toward the water. They kicked off their flip flops at the edge of the water and Gabriel pulled him out into the ocean, up to their knees like they’d stood in that night. Before Jack could ask what he was up to, Gabriel turned to him and drug him in closer by the hand he still had a hold on. Jack stepped into his space, cupping Gabriel’s cheek with his free hand, and they kissed. Something soft and warm, one of those kisses that seemed so mundane without the emotion it brought up in his chest. Gabriel’s other hand slid into his hair, nails rubbing softly at his scalp. He deepened the kiss, their noses bumping together as their mouths moved against each other, and he squeezed at Gabriel’s fingers.

When they broke apart they both laughed, Jack leaning in to press their foreheads together. Gabriel smiled, wrinkling his nose at him playfully, and Gabriel found himself lost in those brown eyes--lit up by the orange and gold sunset around them.

“You got your kiss out here,” he said.

“That was way better than I would have been able to pull off then.”

Gabriel chuckled and carded his fingers through his hair gently. “Sometimes things are better when you have to wait for them.”

Jack thought of the ring he’d left in the console. He didn’t know how to ask… or if he’d ever know. But maybe he didn’t have to feel so bad about waiting. Maybe the past few years weren’t so bad; maybe that meant when it finally happened it would be just that much sweeter.

Or maybe he was fooling himself. He really couldn’t say for sure.

Before he could process his thoughts any further a particularly large, late breaker washed past, hitting them both waist high and causing them to stumble apart. Gabriel laughed and grabbed for him, both of them somehow still keeping balance, and Jack found himself chuckling too once they recovered their footing.

“Jesus,” Gabriel huffed, straightening up again. “Glad I left my phone in the truck. Would have just lost it then.”

“Close one,” Jack replied. He thought of the ring in the truck and felt like that, at least, was a sign that maybe it was meant to stay there tonight.

He’d have to just let things happened how they did. Natural. Simple. Just like everything else had happened between them.

And maybe he didn’t know how to ask or when. But he knew that he loved Gabriel and Gabriel loved him. He’d told him so on the very same beach. And that mattered more than anything his anxieties could do to him.

**Author's Note:**

> Here's a [playlist](https://open.spotify.com/user/unluckyfly/playlist/4VxzQbTk6GVma0pTsbhNhI?si=FBt1rwGbSV67vz_I9UlN-A) for the series!  
> Please go read the first part if you haven't yet!
> 
> And a big thank you to Logan for beta reading this mess and also listening to me gush about my sappy ideas and being so supportive. <3 I love u!!


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